The Unexpected
by the music our collisions make
Summary: Draco manages to escape Malfoy Manor with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and they have no choice but to bring him along on the Horcrux Hunt.
1. Chapter 1

_Deathly Hallows with a twist: what if Draco had gone with the Trio on the Horcrux Hunt? Obviously, this is AU and while a lot of the events in this first chapter follow the book, the rest of this will make a huge departure. And, of course, feedback would be wonderful. Enjoy!_

* * *

It all happened so fast in a blur of colors, flashing in time with the pounding of Harry's head. The red of Ron's hair. The silver of Bellatrix's dagger. Narcissa Malfoy's pale, horrorstruck face. And a platinum streak as Draco rushed forward.

The pain in Harry's head took over as his feet left solid ground, and he focused his concentration on his grip on Dobby's hand and the mantra of _Shell Cottage… Shell Cottage… Shell Cottage_. Dobby's fingers held tight onto his, and everything around him was spinning, spinning out of control, and just as the pain began to feel unbearable, just as he felt that he might pass out, his knees hit soft earth with a thud, and the goblin slid from his shoulders.

His fingers found purchase in the damp sand just at the edge of the sea, and he breathed a sigh of relief upon finding that yes, this must be the place Ron had told him about. Bill and Fleur's cottage was supposed to be on the coast. This had to be it.

"We made it," he said, almost to himself for he still hadn't gotten his bearings. "This is the right place, isn't it?"

He turned to direct his question to Ron or Dobby, _anyone_, but when he raised his eyes he was met with none other than Draco Malfoy.

"You."

The other boy scrambled to his feet, hastily brushing off his knees and breathing hard. He still had that look of terror and uncertainty on his face that Harry had seen at the Manor.

Draco spread his arms wide before letting them fall against his sides, hands slapping at his thighs and shoulders sagging. He was the picture of defeat. Certainly not the Draco Harry remembered.

"Me," Draco said and then took a deep breath. "Potter…"

But before he could explain himself, the rest of the world came into focus. Several voices reached Harry through a fog and suddenly Hermione's rang out above the rest. "HARRY!"

He turned toward her voice only to feel his stomach drop at the sight before him. She was only a few feet away, cradling Dobby in her arms. Dobby with a blood-soaked shirt, two sizes too large. Dobby with a dagger sticking out of his tiny heaving chest. Bellatrix's dagger.

"No…"

He crawled on his hands and knees, reaching out for Dobby's shaking form. The elf looked up at him with glassy eyes and trembling lips, and all Harry could do was sit helplessly, holding his hand.

"Hermione, isn't there anything…. _do something!"_

He looked to her for a sign, any indication at all that there was some hope; if anyone could help Dobby it was Hermione. But she shook her head, tears cascading down her face.

"Harry…"

"No. Hermione, in your bag. You have to have something." Harry frantically looked about him before grasping at Hermione's bag and reaching an arm inside.

"Harry, please. I… I can't…" Hermione said weakly, and he realized then that she was shaking too, and the reality of all that had just happened to her at Malfoy Manor came upon him in a rush. She held Dobby up, offering him over to Harry, and Harry did not protest. The elf felt light in his arms, practically weightless.

"I'm sorry, Dobby," Harry said, feeling his own tears threatening to spill.

And Dobby could only reply with one last refrain of, "Great… wizard…" before falling limp in Harry's arms, the light of life expiring from his large green eyes that had peered at him through the bushes all those years ago.

The pain in Harry's scar was nothing to the ache in his chest, and he groaned as he gasped for air. He heard Hermione do the same.

"It's all right. I've got you," a familiar voice said, and Harry looked up to see Bill supporting Hermione and leading her away. He gave Harry a grim smile over his shoulder. "I'll be right back for you, Harry. But if you could, break up Ron and Malfoy, would you?"

Harry jerked his head and saw that Ron, upon realizing the unexpected addition to their party, had thrown himself at Malfoy. At the moment, Ron had Malfoy in a headlock, which brought Harry back to summer afternoons with Dudley at Privet Drive, and Malfoy was depending on whatever tricks he could come up with to defend himself. Like sinking his teeth into Ron's arm.

"You… slimy… _git_!" Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Ron," Harry said weakly. He gently placed Dobby on the ground, and struggled to his feet. It felt as though he had weights strapped to his ankles. "Ron, let him go."

"Are you joking?!" Ron exclaimed, flailing his legs in an attempt at using his knees as well as his fists. "After all this wanker has put us through? I don't bloody think so, mate."

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled a wand, (not his wand, he noticed, but a wand nonetheless) and sent a Stinging Jinx at the two boys on the ground.

"Oi!" Ron shouted, rubbing his arm where the spell had hit him. "What was that for?"

Harry looked from Ron's slightly betrayed expression to Draco's unreadable one. "He might be a slimy git," Harry began pointedly, "but he saved our skins back there and you know it."

Ron set his mouth in a grim line, not wanting to admit any such thing. He balled his fists in anger, but didn't speak out against Harry's words. Malfoy only looked down at his feet, arms crossed.

Harry then heard the bang of a door, and saw Fleur rushing toward them from a cottage on the hill a few hundred yards away. He nodded toward her approaching figure. "You two go with her. I have something to take care of," he said, pointing at Dobby's lifeless body.

He had Bill find him a spade and for the next hour, Harry dug at the earth, determined to give Dobby the proper burial he deserved. A burial full of sweat and tears and manual labor. It relieved Harry's swollen heart if only a little, and it was a distraction from the pain that was still shooting daggers across his forehead. But mostly it gave him time to think.

Because Malfoy coming along with them was not part of the plan. The search for Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be increased tenfold now, and Malfoy couldn't know anything about what they were up to. No one but the three of them could know about the Horcruxes. It was too dangerous, and yet…

Harry recalled the way Malfoy had refused to meet his eyes at the Manor, the way he hadn't exposed them, the way he'd lied through his teeth, and for some reason that changed things. For some reason, that gave Harry reason enough to think that perhaps, having Malfoy among them wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	2. Chapter 2

"No. No way."

"Come on, Ron. We can't leave him here. You know that," Harry said for what seemed like the thousandth time.

The three of them were gathered in a spare bedroom Fleur had quickly made up for Hermione who had just woken up from a much needed rest. Harry sat at the foot of the bed while Ron stood his ground, leaning his back against the door with arms folded.

While Hermione slept Harry had mulled over every possible option and in the end he could see only one: Malfoy had to stay with them.

Now, it was a matter of convincing Ron and Hermione of the same thing, which was proving as difficult as could be expected. Ron wasn't willing to even entertain the idea, while Hermione was relying on her maddening logic to shoot down every argument Harry had.

Hermione sat up in bed and gave him a skeptical look. "Harry, how are we supposed to bring Malfoy along but not tell him anything? He's not stupid, you know. He'll figure it out eventually."

"Figure out what? What's the likelihood that he'll know what a Horcrux even is?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "He'll at least figure out that we're looking for something, and if we get caught, he's a liability."

"He's a liability no matter what," Harry reasoned. "At least if he's with us, we'll know where he is and what he's up to. Besides, he doesn't have a wand now, does he?" He pulled out the wands he'd taken from Malfoy back at the Manor and weighed them in his hands. He dearly wished to have his own back. "How much of a liability is he without a wand?"

"Yes, but if we get caught…"

"If we get caught then we're dead either way, aren't we? Dead or worse…"

It was Ron's turn to speak up now. "I still don't trust him. How do we know he's not communicating with the Death Eaters somehow? Like he did last year at Hogwarts? He probably came with us to try and lead them to us."

"How would he do that?" Hermione asked. "No one knew that we'd show up at the Malfoy's. It's not as if this was his plan all along."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Ron asked heatedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and settled back into the pillows, playing with a loose thread in the quilt. "I'm just trying to think _logically_, Ron. That's all. I'm on Harry's side, and if Harry thinks we have to bring Malfoy along, I just want to make sure that's the only option that we have. So let's_ think_, shall we?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Think. What do we do with him if he doesn't come along? Leave him here with Bill and Fleur?"

"Not a chance," Ron said. "They've got enough trouble on their hands."

"Exactly. I can't ask anyone else to babysit him for us. And seeing as the Order doesn't have a proper headquarters anymore there isn't a safe place to keep him anyway. Besides…" Harry paused, choosing his words carefully. "Besides, he might actually make himself useful. He knows what the Death Eaters are up to and how to avoid them."

"For someone who was so suspicious of Malfoy last year, you seem to have a different attitude now," Ron said darkly.

"Considering I was _right_ about Malfoy last year, you'd think my opinion was worth something," Harry snapped.

Hermione's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, her eyes wide. "Merlin, what has gotten into the two of you?"

Ron sulked and scuffed his feet against the carpet, muttering something under his breath. Harry only glared at the ceiling. The three of them had just gotten back to their usual selves after Ron had come back to them and now Malfoy's appearance was ruining everything. Harry didn't want to strain his friendship with Ron- he'd missed him more than he'd ever say aloud- but the decision was already made.

"Malfoy's coming," Harry said. He got up from off the bed and approached the door. Ron shifted so that he could get by. "If you have a problem with it…" Harry trailed off, not really wanting to finish that thought. It was enough that the other two seemed to understand the sentiment. Ron nodded grimly and Hermione shot him a sympathetic look.

Harry took a deep breath before opening the door. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"Harry," Hermione said quietly. "Don't you think you should rest?"

Harry shook his head and walked out closing the door behind him. He _was_ exhausted. In fact, all he wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep for an eternity and forget about Dobby and the Horcruxes and the pain prickling in his scar. But first, he had to see Malfoy.

Bill was sitting at the kitchen table when Harry entered. "You all right?"

Harry nodded. "Well enough. How are the others?"

"They're all on the mend. Luna's outside with Dean. Griphook and Mr. Ollivander are resting. I don't have much room, I'm afraid, so you and Ron will have to share the couch. It pulls out into a bed. A bit lumpy but it'll do."

"And Malfoy?"

Bill sighed and gave Harry a grim smile. "He's in the shed like you asked. Fleur didn't like that at all. Neither did I to tell you the truth."

"I know," Harry said. He rubbed the back of his neck and did his best to ignore the guilt gnawing at his insides. "I don't like it either, but like you said, there's not much room and I think it's best to keep him away from the others. For now anyway."

Bill reached across the table and held out a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of water. "Make sure you give this to him when you go."

"Thanks," Harry said. "For everything. I didn't mean for all this to happen. We'll be gone soon, I promise."

"Take all the time you need, Harry. I'm happy to help. Just be careful, all right?"

"Yeah," Harry responded. He took the food, stuck the bottle of water beneath his arm, and made his way outside toward the little shed beside Fleur's garden.

A few hundred yards away Luna and Dean were sitting beneath a tree. Luna was speaking animatedly about something, holding her hands above her head and waving them about. If Harry had to guess, he'd say she was doing a Nargle mating dance, but he also knew that there was no telling with Luna. To his credit, Dean actually seemed fairly interested.

Harry unlocked the shed with a wave of the wand he'd claimed from Malfoy. The magic didn't feel as effortless as it did with his old wand, but it seemed to work just fine. It was a hard loss to bear but he supposed the new wand would just have to do.

The door creaked as he entered the little shed, and he lit the wand to illuminate the inside. Malfoy was sitting on a wooden counter, legs dangling. He was digging a trowel into the wood, carving out splintered pieces and tossing them aside.

"What do you want?" he asked, not looking up at Harry.

Harry set the plate of food down beside him. "Hungry?"

"Maybe."

Malfoy stuck the point of the trowel as deep into the wood as possible. Harry didn't see the point in wasting time with idle chatter. "Why did you come with us?"

Malfoy furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why? Why do you think? I wasn't about to let you lot escape and leave me in that hell hole."

"Fair enough."

Malfoy swung his legs back and forth before finally giving in to temptation and pulled the plate toward him. He hazarded a glance up at Harry and paused with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. "That's my wand."

Harry tried to arrange his face into a passive expression. "Is it?"

Malfoy held out his free hand. "I'll have it back."

Harry shook his head. "Afraid not. Sorry."

Malfoy's grey eyes flashed silver with anger and fear. "So what now? You're going to punish me for coming along? Sorry if I wanted a chance to save _my_ skin too. Didn't mean to ruin the party."

"Ha! Party? Is that what you think this is?" Harry took a step forward, holding up the light to illuminate the space between them. "For your information, we haven't had the greatest time of it either, and now that you've decided to join us, you're going to get to see for yourself. And no, you won't be getting your wand back. Can't have you sneaking off."

"Where do you think I'll sneak off to?" Draco asked. "I have nowhere to go."

There was a hint of bitterness in his voice that Harry could only acknowledge as genuine. He had to admit that Ron had every reason to suspect him, but the Draco Malfoy sitting on the counter in Bill's shed was not the same Draco Malfoy from a year ago. Harry knew that. He didn't know how to explain it to Ron or Hermione but he just knew it the way he knew Parseltongue without ever having learned.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I can't give you your wand back. I need it, and it's important that you stay with us no matter what. If it means resorting to taking your wand away then so be it. Desperate times and all that."

"You need it." Draco repeated. "Where's yours?"

"Broken," Harry said bitterly. "And I don't think Ollivander can fix it."

"I doubt you'll need it anyway," Draco said. "We seem rather safe here."

"We're not staying here. We're moving on. We'll take a few days to recover and then we're off."

Draco groaned. "But why?"

"I can't tell you why," Harry said. "That's why it's so important that you listen to me. If you don't, it'll be trouble for all of us. All I will say is Dumbledore left me something to do and nobody else knows what it is. And it's going to stay that way. Don't ask questions and no arguing. Understood?"

Malfoy sat up straight and arched a brow. "I'm not sure I like your tone."

"And I'm not sure _you_ realize how much danger you're in," Harry responded. He closed the distance between the two of them in a few steps so that he had to look up to meet Malfoy's eye. "I'm the last person you want to be associated with right now. I'm Undesirable Number One, Ron wants to kill you, and Hermione probably knows more curses than she lets on. So I'm telling you, Malfoy, don't do anything stupid."

The other boy blinked once and set his jaw in determination. "Fine," he finally said, sarcasm leaking through gritted teeth. "Whatever you say, Potter."

"Right then," Harry said. He turned to go. "I'll check on you later."

And with that, he left Malfoy to the darkness of the shed. On his way back to the cottage he thought he heard the muffled sound of metal against wood followed by a curse or two. It seemed no one was happy with the current arrangement, but Harry felt a little better now that Malfoy knew what to expect. He was sarcastic as ever, but he seemed compliant enough. Enough for Harry at least.

He found Ron in the spare bedroom with Hermione. Both had fallen sleep, Hermione beneath the covers and Ron on a makeshift bed of pillows on the floor. Harry followed suit and took over the couch in the living room, grateful for the blessed relief of sleep, and very soon was dead to the world.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading, everyone! This was a quick update. I can't promise the rest of this story will be up so fast but seeing as it's written, I wanted to post it. What do you think? _


	3. Chapter 3

When Harry awoke, he lay still facing the back of the couch. Behind him he could make out faint mumbling from the kitchen. It seemed Ron was distressed over something and Bill was doing his best to calm his little brother down.

"Listen, Ron. Griphook is not going to give up the sword. As far as he's concerned, it belongs to his own kind. Anything goblin-made can never rightfully belong to any wizard and now that he has it back, he's not going to give it up again. Just let it go."

"But, we need it."

"Why?"

Harry held his breath, hoping against hope that Ron wasn't about to give up something important.

"I can't tell you," was the frustrated reply.

Harry heard the scrape of a chair as Bill got up and sighed. "You're going to have to come up with a better reason than that if you want Griphook to be cooperative. In fact, I suggest you leave him alone. No good can come of it. Goblins don't take very kindly to wizards."

"Could you help us, though, Bill?" came Hermione's voice, and Harry lifted has head slightly from the pillow to hear her better. "You've worked with goblins before at Gringotts, haven't you?"

"I've worked with them enough to know it's unlikely anything I can say will change his mind. I'm sorry, but unless I know more about what you're up to, I don't know how I can be of any help. You can ask to borrow the sword. But you'll have to give him something quite valuable in return for his generosity."

"Generosity?" Ron repeated. "The sword isn't his anymore than it is mine. It's Harry's, really. Dumbledore left it to him in his will."

"You're not listening, Ron," Bill said wearily. "In Griphook's eyes, the sword was never Dumbledore's to give. No amount of arguing will change his perspective. It will only anger him, and you don't want to make deals with a bitter goblin. You won't gain anything from it, trust me."

"But…"

"Ron," Hermione said warningly. "Why don't we wait and see what Harry says?"

Ron's reply was too faint for Harry to hear, but it didn't matter. Harry's heart sunk, and his head began to pound though the searing pain in his scar had subsided for the present for which he was grateful.

He supposed it wouldn't matter about the sword if he didn't have any Horcruxes to destroy, but the loss was certainly a blow. After a few minutes more of pretending to be asleep, Harry decided he ought to get up and face the day and his friends, though as he sat up and ran his hands through his messy hair, he couldn't even begin to come up with a plan.

It was then that the legend of the Deathly Hallows came back to mind. The Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in history… surely that could destroy a Horcrux? Without the sword, it was the only option that Harry could see.

He looked up as Hermione and Ron entered the room, and he imagined Hermione's face morphing into a look of disapproval if he were to even mention it.

And then the room was spinning, and his scar burned, and Hermione's face disappeared completely. In its place Harry saw the outskirts of Hogwarts and Dumbledore's tombstone growing ever closer. There was a sense of urgency, as his thoughts were completely consumed with reaching the grave as soon as possible. Soon, he was close enough to see the name _Albus Dumbledore_ etched into the stone.

"Harry!"

He shook his head and he was in Bill's living room again, and he knew that any hope of retrieving the Elder Wand before Voldemort was futile. He would have it soon. If Dumbledore had meant for Harry to defeat Voldemort that way he'd have given it to him anyway. It was small comfort, but Harry would take any he could get.

He focused his gaze on Hermione's worried face and gave her a grim smile. "Doesn't look good, does it?"

She shook her head. "Griphook has the sword, Harry. We're going to have to get it back somehow."

"I say we steal it," Ron said, sitting down in an armchair.

Hermione shot him an icy stare.

"What?" he asked. "We don't have any other options, Hermione. I don't like it, but are we really going to risk everything just because he doesn't want to share his precious toy?"

"We need Griphook too, though," Harry said, perking up, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

Harry got up and began to pace. "You heard the way Bellatrix started raving when she thought her vault had been broken into. She has something in there. What if she has one of the Horcruxes?"

"I bet she does," Ron agreed. "Lucius Malfoy had the diary, so You-Know-Who probably planted another one on Bellatrix. She's his favorite, too." His face fell as he realized that his plan to steal Gryffindor's sword was, indeed, not going to work.

At that moment, Fleur appeared in the doorway with a plate of food. "'Ere 'Arry. Eet something. Zair is anuzzer plate for the boy in ze shed. I 'ope you'll let him come out today." She gave him a sort of reprimanding look that was utterly irresistible. Harry wondered if she'd turned on her Veela charm to persuade him. If so, it was working.

"Yeah," Harry said, taking the plate from her. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. "Yeah, I will. Thanks."

He ate his food in silence, ignoring Ron and Hermione's continued debate on how to get the sword from Griphook. He didn't want to think about it. He had to admit that Ron was right. Stealing it was the only way to get it, but they couldn't do that without first breaking into Bellatrix's vault. There was no way to do that without the goblin's help.

When he was finished eating, he got up to go see Malfoy again. As he left the room he heard the conversation turn to what they were going to do with Malfoy once they left the cottage.

"We'll have to keep an eye on him…"

He slammed the door harder than he meant to, effectively silencing them.

* * *

The shed was rather colder than he remembered, and he felt a pang of guilt as he sat on a bench across from Malfoy. He conjured a small fire in a bucket he found tucked in a far corner and set it between them. Malfoy leaned forward and warmed his hands.

"See you haven't forgotten me," he said. His voice was a mixture of bitterness and surprise.

Harry waved the comment aside. "Nah. Just still trying to decide what to do with you."

Draco snorted. "Do with me?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "You weren't supposed to come along. That changes things."

Draco nodded and stared into the flames, the light dancing across his pointed features. Harry noticed they seemed more angular than before. He looked thinner, even more so than he had last year.

"Let me help," he said, finally.

"How?" Harry asked suspiciously. "I'm not telling you anything. I can't have you telling your merry band of Death Eaters what we're up to."

Draco's instinctively moved to clutch at his left arm where Harry knew the Dark Mark was branded on his skin. "I won't tell," he said. He looked away from the fire to meet Harry's eyes. "I didn't mean to get in so deep. I didn't give you away when I had the chance. You said so yourself. That has to count for something."

"Dumbledore didn't want anyone else to know," Harry explained. "That's not going to change. Everything Dumbledore did was for a specific reason. I still don't understand everything to be honest, but I'm beginning to."

Draco shook his head. "Then leave me here. If I'm not going to be of use, I'll just rot in this dump."

He sat back obstinately in his chair. Harry rolled his eyes.

"What are you sitting with me in here for, anyway?" Draco asked sulkily. "Why don't you go back to your friends? I don't need company if this is how you're going to treat me."

"Does your aunt have something important in her Gringotts vault?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

Draco raised his eyebrows in interest. "What?"

"Bellatrix," Harry said. "Does she have something important that she's keeping in her vault? Something maybe _he_ gave her."

"How the hell should I know?" Draco shrugged. "All the Lestrange's vaults are high security. You couldn't get in there without one of them. Wait…" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're not going to try and break in, are you?"

Harry's first instinct was to deny it; he could have kicked himself for being so transparent. There was no use in lying. He had a feeling Draco would see right through it. Like Hermione had said, he wasn't stupid.

"Maybe."

"Idiot."

"I said _maybe_. Not unless I'm sure what I'm looking for is in there," Harry explained.

"What are you looking for?"

Harry hesitated. How much to reveal? He rubbed his temples. "I can't… I _shouldn't _tell you."

"You do a lot of things you shouldn't, Potter," Draco observed.

Harry grinned for what felt like the first time in ages. "Yeah." He felt his resolve weakening with every word out of Draco's mouth. "I guess I do."

Ron and Hermione were going to kill him.

* * *

Hermione marched Harry into the spare bedroom, followed immediately by Ron. As soon as the door was closed, she cast a quick Muffliato spell and turned on her heel, her face livid.

"_You told him?_" she hissed. "Harry, what on earth are you thinking?"

"I didn't tell him everything," Harry said, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I told him enough for him to figure out that we need to get into Gringotts…"

"But we hadn't discussed it fully yet. We still have no clue if Griphook will even consider it."

"Yeah, well, we won't need him anyway as it turns out," Harry said. He reached past Hermione and opened the door to reveal Draco leaning against the opposite wall.

"What's he doing inside?" Ron asked.

Draco sneered. "I'm not a dog, Weasley. That's why." He pushed his way past the other three and laid down on the bed, sighing in contentment and folding his hands behind his head.

"I can't believe you told him," Ron said in disgust, looking up at the ceiling.

Harry didn't respond. It wasn't as if he expected his friends to be happy about it. He sat down in the corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest.

"It's quite lucky for you that he did tell me, actually," Draco said.

"Oh, really?" Ron said.

"Oh, yes, really," Draco replied smugly. "Because I have a plan."

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Reviews always make my day! Concrit is definitely appreciated and encouraged. :D_


	4. Chapter 4

"_You_ have a plan?"

Draco smirked. "Of course. A better plan than _yours_. You lot really thought you were going to break into a high security Gringotts vault? I'm curious as to how."

"Polyjuice Potion," Hermione said. She pulled a vial from the depths of her bag. She looked at it solemnly. "Though there's only enough for one of us now. But I have a few of Bellatrix's hairs left on me from yesterday. And her wand. That ought to be enough to get us in. It's just a matter of not getting caught."

"You brewed Polyjuice Potion?" Draco asked, mildly impressed.

Ron grinned and turned to Harry. "Should we tell him?"

That got Draco's attention. "Tell me what?"

Harry stifled a laugh, remembering the look on Malfoy's face as he and Ron had fled the Slytherin common room disguised as Crabbe and Goyle.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you remember Christmas break back in Second Year? We all thought it was a little odd you stayed at Hogwarts instead of going home, Malfoy, so we…er… did some investigating."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Investigating…"

"Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be acting strangely too," Ron mused.

"Yeah," Harry added. "I heard they got stuck in a broom cupboard or something… Wonder how that happened…"

The look of realization on Draco's face was priceless. "That was you?"

Harry and Ron collapsed in a fit of laughter. Draco could only look between the two of them in utter disbelief. "You are insane. All three of you. Absolutely mad."

"You're just getting that now?" Hermione asked impatiently. She nudged Ron in the ribs with her foot. "Get a grip, will you?"

"Sorry," Ron said. "I've only just realized how much explaining we probably have to do to Malfoy. Poor bloke."

"Later," Hermione said firmly. She turned to Draco who was now sitting up in bed, absently staring at Harry as if he'd never seen him before. "What's this brilliant plan of yours, Malfoy?"

Draco's eyes snapped back into focus and he cleared his throat. "You want something out of the Lestrange's vault, correct?"

"Yes."

"And for that you need a Lestrange."

"Yes," Hermione said impatiently. "Hence the Polyjuice Potion."

"Ah, but an _actual_ Lestrange would work a little better, don't you think?"

"But Bellatrix…"

Draco shook his head. "Not Bellatrix. Rodolphus. Ever since they've been out of Azkaban, dear uncle Rodolphus hasn't been exactly thrilled with the new regime."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked.

"I've been living at the Manor remember? I've heard some things. Seen some things too…" Draco shuddered. "It's not exactly a secret that Rodolphus isn't happy with Bellatrix and from the sound of it, that all started long before they were put in Azkaban in the first place."

"So wait…" Ron said. "You expect us to trust another Death Eater to help? I don't even trust _you_." He turned to Harry. "Sorry, mate, I don't like this at all."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione pressed on with her questioning. "How do you know Rodolphus will sympathize with us?"

"I'm telling you, he already does," Draco said. "I practically heard him say so to Snape once when they thought they were alone in the library. Got an earful for it too; you know how Snape is. But he can't very well desert the cause, can he?"

"What about the vault? He can get in?"

Draco nodded. "Now that Bellatrix is wandless, I reckon he's the_ only_ one who can get in."

Hermione crossed her arms and fell silent, biting her bottom lip. Harry watched it all from the corner, and he could sense her resolve against Malfoy weakening. Ron was clearly not going to change his opinion any time soon, and truthfully, Harry didn't blame him. He knew it was a lot to ask, but Polyjuice Potion wasn't foolproof, and he didn't want to press their luck, especially considering what happened at the Ministry the last time they'd used it.

"What if the thing we're looking for isn't in there?" Hermione asked.

"The Hufflepuff Cup, you mean?" Draco responded. "It's in there."

Hermione gave Harry a look of disapproval. Harry only grinned. "I didn't mention a word about the Cup, Hermione."

"He didn't," Draco agreed. "He just said something valuable that might be associated with one of the founders of Hogwarts. He gave her Hufflepuff's Cup. I know because it's sort of a sore spot with my father. Bellatrix got a relic from a Hogwarts founder and all he got was a blank diary. Turns out that old diary was worth more than he realized, eh? The Dark Lord was _very _upset when he learned my father 'lost' it. To be honest I think that's why he's turned our house into his headquarters. It's convenient, but I think he likes reminding my father of the piss poor servant he was."

"It _is_ valuable," Ron said. "But do you know why?"

"Because it belonged to Helga Hufflepuff obviously," Draco responded. "I assume it has other magical properties. Not really sure. Why?"

"No reason," Ron said, but he seemed satisfied that Harry hadn't mentioned Horcruxes at all.

Draco only rolled his eyes. "I'm not an idiot, Weasley. I don't know what you three are up to, and I don't care. I'm just along for the ride, and seeing as that is the case, I thought I'd make it a little easier on all of us. What do you say?"

Harry gave Hermione a pleading look. She sighed. "I'm not sure about this, Harry. Draco is one thing, but Rodolphus Lestrange? There are too many Death Eaters involved in this plan already."

"It's thanks to one Death Eater that we got hold of the locket," Harry reminded her. "Regulus Black was willing to die for it. I think Dumbledore would want us to give Rodolphus the same chance."

"Dumbledore also trusted Snape and look where that got him," Ron muttered bitterly.

"That was my fault, actually," Draco said suddenly. He fumbled with the hem of his robes. "My mother kind of forced him to make an Unbreakable Vow. He swore to finish the old man off if I couldn't, and well… I couldn't. She didn't tell me about it until afterward."

"I still don't trust him," Ron said.

"I don't trust him either," Draco said, shaking his head. "He plays his part well, but I think he's on your side. Rodolphus reckons so too."

"All right, so _no one_ trusts Snape," Harry said, finally getting to his feet, "but I still say if we have to get into the Lestrange vault, then we ought to get a Lestrange to do it instead of relying on one hour's worth of Potion. Not to mention Griphook. From the sound of it Rodolphus will be easier to persuade."

"Does this mean we're going back to the Manor?" Ron asked uneasily.

"Do we have a choice?" Harry asked. "Malfoy can get in and out, right?" He looked to the other boy who nodded confidently.

Ron fidgeted. "What if we get caught? I don't know if we could escape a second time. Isn't that pushing our luck?"

Then without warning, Draco quickly lunged toward Hermione, hand outstretched. Before Harry could register what was happening, Draco had thrown something at the opposite wall.

_Crash!_

"Hey!" Hermione clenched her fists, eyes shooting daggers at Draco, while Ron was pressed against a shelf in order to avoid being hit with the vial containing what was left of the Polyjuice Potion. The result was that it had shattered against the wall, the thick contents staining the wallpaper as it dripped slowly down toward the floor.

"Now you only have one option," Draco said. "Are you in or not?"

Ron looked from Hermione to Harry and back again. Seeing that he was outnumbered, he sighed and admitted defeat. "Fine."

Hermione nodded solemnly. "All right," she said. "I just hope this works."

"It will," Draco said. He lay down on the bed once again, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "It has to."

Harry took a deep breath and motioned for the other two to leave the room. He made to follow them but not before giving Draco a grateful smile. "Get some rest," he said.

Draco nodded. "Thanks, Potter."

Harry closed the door behind him and joined his friends in the living room who were organizing a game of Exploding Snap with Dean and Luna. As he sat down to play it felt odd to be doing something so ordinary as if the world as they all knew it wasn't hanging in the balance, but he tried not to dwell on it. It wouldn't be long before he had to put such simple pleasures behind him.


End file.
